Berlin: PAOK sealed top spot in UEFA Conference League Group G after second-half goals form Tomasz Kedziora and Andrija Zivkovic saw them edge Eintracht Frankfurt 2-1 on Thursday.
Eintracht controlled possession from the start and came close through Omar Marmoush and Fares Chaibi, who couldn’t beat PAOK goalkeeper Dominik Kotarski.
Kotarski remained with his hands full as Frankfurt’s Niels Nkounkou created another presentable opportunity with 25 minutes played.
Four minutes later, defensively-minded PAOK showed signs of life after Frankfurt goalkeeper Kevin Trapp had to save from Thomas Murg with his foot at the half-hour mark, reports Xinhua.
As the match progressed, both defences were able to keep the action away from their goal for the remainder of the first half.
The visitors from Greece made a bright start into the second half as Murg rattled the side netting with a dangerous free kick in the 51st minute, before Kedziora collected a loose ball inside the box and tapped home four minutes later to stun the hosts.
PAOK’s joy was short-lived, as Eintracht responded well and restored parity after Marmoush nodded home Chaibi’s pinpoint cross at the near post three minutes later.
The Eagles piled on the pressure and thought they had taken the lead at the hour mark, but Hugo Larsson’s goal was ruled offside.
However, it was PAOK who scored at the other end against the flow of the game as Trapp parried an effort into the path of Zivkovic, who made no mistake and clinically poked home in the 73rd minute.
Eintracht responded with furious attacks but couldn’t overcome PAOK’s defence a second time as Marmoush and Chaibi lacked in accuracy.
Things went from bad to worse in the closing stages as Kristijan Jakic was sent off for a second bookable offence in the closing stages.
With the win, PAOK are assured of top spot in Group G with one game to spare, while Eintracht sit second, followed by Aberdeen and Helsinki.
“We started well into the clash and dominated the first half. After the restart we conceded a goal. We answered and even had the chance to take the lead, but at the end of the day we made too many mistakes at the back and weren’t efficient enough in front of goal,” said Eintracht coach Dino Toppmoller.
–IANS
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